Borderlands: Origins

Borderlands: Origins is a four issue comic series written by Mikey Neumann with art by Agustin Padilla, and published by IDW. The series delves into the origins of each of the four vault hunters in Borderlands, leading up to their arrival on Pandora and boarding Marcus Kincaid's bus to Fyrestone.[1]

Contents

Issue One

Characters

Summary

As he waits for the bus, Roland remembers a mission he undertook for the Atlas Corporation on Pandora some time ago. Two hundred kilometers from New Haven, Roland reads a classified Atlas file. It specifically prohibits sergeants (Roland's rank) and below from reading it on pain of death. Later, Roland is with his squadmates. Aebri worries that she will be given a detriment on her file and be kicked out of the Crimson Lance for cooking a Scythid, but Roland says that he cleared her file. Scraps says that Roland can do whatever he wants because he does Higgins' dirty work. He points out how Roland subdued an entire town with a taco, but Boozer corrects him and says that Roland used only a taco wrapper, having eaten the taco himself.

Higgins, their boss, arrives and asks to speak to Roland. Away from the camp, Higgins demands to know if Roland read a file, which Roland denies. Higgins uses seemingly superhuman strength to slam Roland against a wall, which he reveals to be from cybernetic augmentation to his arm. As Roland continues to deny knowing about any file, Higgins says that he knows he can trust Roland now and assigns him to clear out creatures known as Crumblers from a location called the Collapsed Valley.

At the Collapsed Valley, Roland's squad discovers that the Crumblers are massive rhino-like creatures. The squad kills the two adults they encounter, but Aebri spares a young Crumbler and decides to make it her pet, calling it "Cutie Horny Face" or "C.H.F." for short. Suddenly, Aebri is killed with a headshot from a sniper rifle fired by Higgins, who reveals that the mission was a ruse to eliminate Roland and his squad. Roland explains that Higgins had been embezzling from Atlas and planned to frame them for the crime using the file Roland stole. Higgins' team kills Scraps and Boozer, and Higgins shoots Roland in the shoulder. As Higgins taunts Roland over the death of his friends, Roland claims he will kill Higgins, no matter how long it takes. Higgins and his team then depart, leaving Roland to be eaten by Crumblers.

"Seven hundred and fourteen cycles later", Roland is at the bus stop. The bus arrives and Roland gets on board. The final panel shows a bloody purple tie, presumably owned by the late Higgins, lying on the ground.

Issue Two

Characters

Summary

As Lilith waits for the bus, she reminices about the past, and how people constantly referred to her as special due to her being a Siren. Years before, on the planet Honus 4651, Lilith's father expires in front of her, begging her to go and see the universe, for she would find him among the stars. The Eldest approaches her shortly afterwards, telling her that her father belongs to the mealworms, and that Lilith is a siren, mentioning that she would find others in the galaxy, some who would be her enemies or her allies. The Eldest tells Lilith to sing her song and live her story, before collapsing in front of her, presumably dying.

Years later, on Pandora, Lilith, now grown up, sits in a bar drinking. The bartender makes conversation with her, asking why she is drinking so heavily. She goes into a rant about all the names people call her, ranging from "baby" to "sugar booger," before stating that her name is Lilith. The bartender recognizes the name and pulls a gun on her, joined by another man in the bar, who corners her from behind. Lilith shows no concern for the weapons, phaseshifting just as they fire so that they kill each other. The door to the bar opens afterwards, and Lilith picks up one of the weapons, only to reveal that Marcus had arrived. Lilith asks him if he's the bus driver and he tells her that he is as well as an arms dealer. She chastizes him for it, but he simply replies "Pandora is what you make of it." He then asks if she wants to hear a story, to which she replies that she does.

Back in present day, Lilith thinks on how things brought her here, on being a siren and ending up on a bus that smells like boiled feet. While Marcus objects, Roland agrees with Lilith, before she kisses him abruptly. He asks why, and she replies that she'd seen some of the galaxy, but never kissed a boy. He attempts to reassure her by saying that neither has he, and they both agree for some awkward silence.

Issue Three

Characters

Summary

On Pandora, Mordecai lays in the dirt for eight hours before a woman stumbles upon him. She approaches and helps him up, asking how he ended up like that. He replies, and shows in a flashback, that he fought six bandits who beat him up badly. The woman helps him along, introducing herself as Essimere. They stumble on Marcus's bus, being repaired by the arms dealer and Scooter. Essimere asks if they need help as Scooter hits on her and Mordecai points out they need to keep moving. Before they depart, Marcus hands Mordecai his card despite the latter's objection, telling him that he might and that Pandora needed those seeking adventure. Essimere hurries Mordecai along, warning him not to trust Marcus and that Pandora is a place where no one was there to help anyone.

Fifteen miles later, Mordecai asks how much further, with Essimere assuring him that their destination would not be so far away. He asks where they are going, and she replies "to opportunity." They arrive in a valley full of broken down cars, and Essimere calls Mordecai an idiot just as the bandits who he fought earlier emerge from the wreckages as she pulls a pistol on him. She repeats her earlier words, that no one was there to help him, while the bandits ask why she's there, as she has a bounty on her head for ten thousand credits. Essimere instead points out Mordecai's bounty, and how he was a far better prize than her. Mordecai interrupts, telling her that she made a mistake and calls out to Bloodwing, who flies down and disarms Essimere. Mordecai then turns to the bandits with Bloodwing on his arm, and tells them that they can either take her away and claim the bounty, or get killed by him and Bloodwing. The Bandit leader asks if he really would just let them walk away with her, and Mordecai says yes. He claims he came to Pandora to make a better life, rather than lose it. The bandits drag Essimere away to her protests, as Mordecai picks up Marcus's card from the ground.

Issue Four

Characters

Summary

Brick gets on the bus, already occupied with Roland, Mordecai, and Lilith. Roland asks what Brick's story is, while Lilith asks for his name, to which he simply hands her a brick. As he sits down, he thinks back to another planet and another time. He, along with several others are on their way to Burch's Vine, intending on taking the most valuable possessions there. The band starts raiding the town, with the leader informing the citizens that they will take their children and if the townsfolk want them back, they would need to pay a ransom. As the bandits start to leave with the children, Brick remains behind, to the confusion of the others, and ends up in jail. Brick breaks out with his bare hands, and dares his warden to stop him as he walks away. The warden asks where he was headed, and Brick simply replies that he was going to get the children back.

A while later, he climbs up a cliff to the band's stronghold and approaches. Crush asks if Brick really expected them to just let him back in, to which Brick replies "no children" and entered a berzerking state. He charges the rest of the bandits and beats them to death, returning to the town in the morning with the children following him. As the families reunite, one boy, who came in town riding on Brick's shoulder, heads off and returns with a dog. He says that the dog's name is Priscilla, and that Brick looked like he could use a dog,.

Back on the bus, Brick stares out the window, holding onto the dog paw necklace.